Simviation Forums

My brother and I got into a friendly heated discussion about when to use the wingtip strobe lights.

I say... when on the runway and during flight.

He says... while the engine is running.

I responded... The beacon is on while the engine is running.

Are we right, wrong... doesn't matter?

Thanks for giving a crap,
Joe

I put the beacon on when I start up, and strobes at night only.

My brother and I got into a friendly heated discussion about when to use the wingtip strobe lights.

I say... when on the runway and during flight.

He says... while the engine is running.

I responded... The beacon is on while the engine is running.

Are we right, wrong... doesn't matter?

Thanks for giving a crap,
Joe

Typically it is just red beacon when the engine is running, and white strobes from takeoff to landing.  The reason is to avoid blinding other pilots on the ground with the usually brighter white strobes.  Now you will see some small GA aircraft that do not have beacons per se, and use their strobes in their place.

Depends on the plane really. On the C-17 the wing tip strobes are tied into the Weight on Wheels(WoW) switch, so when the beacon is on, and it is taxing or sitting there, thy do nothing. But when it takes off they automatically come on, I think the DC-10 is the same way as they McDonald Douglass made both planes.

The C-5's beacon turns from from red to white, then the wing tips start flashing when it takes off. Not sure if the 744 lights are tied into the WoW sensor also, or if they turn them on just before take off. Because every time the Dreamlifter takes off, every light that can flash starts to flash when it gets air borne.

But Evergreen with their 742 they used to turn there lights on just before take off.
 

Thanks for the responses. He's buying me dinner...

I hate it when the commercial jets leave them on while taxiing into the gate cause we the wingwalkers get blinded

The company I work for (and we have a fleet of 737-700/800, A319/20/21, A330 and Dash8 Q400),company policy, they are turned just before the aircraft enters the runway and turned off as they leave. Except when we fly to two destinations in Iraq.................EVERYTHING is turned off!!

Matt

I hate it when the commercial jets leave them on while taxiing into the gate cause we the wingwalkers get blinded

This is exactly why I don't use them unless I'm on the runway (or in flight)... not nice for other pilots who have just gotten their night-vision dialed in, and are preparing to take off into the dark.  :-/

Definitely whilst on the runway, whether departing, arriving, or just crossing it (at night only). For flight in VMC, leave them on. See and be seen is the name of the game there. In IMC, I think it solely depends on the type of aircraft and the weather you're flying through. If you're flying in and out of clouds or between a cloud layer, I would probably leave them on. If I was flying through a solid set of cloud, again, depending on the aircraft, may turn them off. I do not need to get blinded by the very things making me noticeable (however noticeable you could actually be in a cloud anyways).